


the magic of christmas

by dizzy



Series: we're all fucking fine 2020 advent fics [14]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28228710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy
Summary: A little slice of Simon and Baz spending Christmas together.
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: we're all fucking fine 2020 advent fics [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035990
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	the magic of christmas

The flat is a mess in the way Simon loves the most. There's still a bit of crumpled up wrapping paper by the sofa that Penny didn't spot in her whirlwind of tidying up. The plate on the coffee table in front of Simon holds half of three different afters. They were technically meant to be the half Baz ate, but they both know it's Simon that'll finish them off sooner rather than later. 

But even he has reached his limit for the moment. He breathes in deep and stretches his arms over his head. He sort of wants to nick more sweets from his stocking, the one that he's sure Penny crept into the lounge and filled the night before. When he'd asked she'd just clucked her tongue and said, "Father Christmas," and he'd been so delighted he hadn't even pressed. 

Baz has one, too. That's a different sort of delight. She'd filled it with things Baz actually likes, too. That's the sort of relationship Penny and Baz have now; one where she knows his favourite types of snack and buys him posh leather hair bands to pull his hair back with and lip balm that tastes like cherries and vanilla because he does things like that, things to take care of himself. 

Simon turns his head to the side and just looks. Baz looks back, and lifts an eyebrow in silent question. Simon smiles and closes the gap between them. 

Cherries and vanilla. 

-

Penny and Shep have gone for a walk. She said she needed to get some fresh air but he thinks it probably has more to do with just wanting to be alone together outside of these too-thin walls. 

That suits Simon just fine. The fire is crackling and they're watching a movie Simon loves with ridiculous abandon and Baz tolerates with a grimace just to make Simon happy. Simon has his feet propped up in Baz's lap and Baz is squeezing his ankles, occasionally offering an absent minded calf massage. 

"I'd eat that," Simon says. "I'm going to. I'm going to make that, and I'm going to eat it." 

Baz squints at the scene playing out, pasta piled on a plate with marshmallows and chocolates and crumbled up American breakfast pastry and drenched in both chocolate and some other kind of syrup. "It looks disgusting and I have absolutely no doubt that you would consume every bite. Just don't expect me to deal with your sugar rush or subsequent crash." 

He squeezes Simon's big toe just for emphasis as he speaks. Simon digs his heel into Baz's thigh lightly in retaliation. 

-

Later into the night and they've got a few bottles open. They're all full again and sluggish and warm and laughing, a sense of being displaced in time creeping into the space between them all. 

It's not a bad feeling, though. It's just the feeling of nowhere to go, nowhere else to be. It's anticlimactic in the best way; the main event is over but what's really to come? Boxing Day and then that stretch of time before the new year. Baz and Penny won't have classes. Shep doesn't fly back to the states until the first week of January. Aggie's coming for a visit since she's back home to see her parents anyway, and Simon and Baz will wander over to Fiona's flat at some point. But even those plans float in the vague calendar of Simon's mind, not weighted to specific days or times. 

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Simon asks Baz. 

Baz shrugs. "What do you want to do?" 

"Nothing," Simon says, as honest as he always is, whether he means to be or not. "Except eat, maybe." 

"Then we'll do nothing but eat," Baz says. 

"I've got my new jigsaw," Penny offers. 

"Then we'll do nothing but a jigsaw and eat," Baz amends. 

"I'm shit at puzzles," Simon says. Knowing Penny, it's got five thousand pieces all the same colour. She likes to feel challenged. 

"You are," Baz says, at the same time Penny says, "No you're not." 

Shep tries to mediate. "You can do the edge pieces." 

Simon shrugs. "That's alright with me."

He probably won't be of much help but he doesn't mind. He'll put himself on entertainment and snack duty. 

He yawns and leans into Baz, who shifts to tug the blanket up over them more. His hand is resting on Simon's hip and it's easy for Simon to just rest his head right on Baz's shoulder. It's comfortable there, his familiar spot. 

The Christmas music plays on and the fire flickers and and candles fill the air with the scent of apples and spice and Simon just lets himself feel every bit of the strangeness of being perfectly content.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Sarah.


End file.
